Garment hanger bracket



May 26, 1959 R. s. SANFQRD GARMENT HANGER BRACKET Filed June 29, 1953 INVENTOR Roy 5. SANFORD ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 2,888,224 Patented May 26, 1959 GARMENT HANGER BRACKET Roy S. Sanford, Woodbury, Conn'.-, assignor to The Autoyre Company, Oakville, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application June 29, 1953, Serial No. 364,814 Claims. (Cl. 248-214) This invention relates to brackets, and more particularly to garment hanger brackets adapted to fit over the top of a door.

Brackets of the above type are of U-shape and have been used quite extensively on closet doors and the like to support garment hangers, the bracket simply being hooked over the top of the door without other means of attachment. Doors commonly in use, however, are of two different standard thicknesses, and in some cases removable spacers have been furnished with the brackets to adapt them to use on doors of either thickness. Some of these spacers have been subject to loss on store counters or have been difficult for the customer to use, and it is an object of the present invention to provide such a bracket spacer of simple and economical construction.

Another object is the provision of a spacer readily detachable from the bracket by the customer without tools, but not subject to accidental detachment in handling on the store counter or elsewhere.

A further object is the provision of a single piece spacer which may be readily attached to the bracket by the manufacturer.

Still another object is the provision of a backet and spacer therefor so constituted that the spacer is definitely positioned on the bracket.

These and other objects and novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein there is illustrated one embodiment of the invention. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are employed for the purpose of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views;

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a bracket and spacer assembly with a portion of a garment hanger shown attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the bracket of Fig. l with the spacer omitted;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the spacer as made, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the spacer of Fig. 3 as deformed. for removal from the bracket.

As shown in the drawing, a U-shaped bracket 4 is provided having a fiat closed end portion 5 adapted to rest on the top edge of a door, a front leg 6 adapted to engage one face of the door and to carry a garment hanger member 7 which may be welded thereto or otherwise suitably attached, and a rear leg 8 adapted to engage the other face of the door. The edges of the back leg of the bracket are provided with notches 9 and 10 as shown, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

Doors of the types in common use are in general of two different standard thicknessess, and the front and rear legs of the bracket are so spaced from each other as to snugly engage the front and rear faces of the thicker of these doors. In order that the bracket may also be applied to the thinner doors as well, it is contemplated that the bracket may be supplied to the customer with a readily detachable spacer 11 attached thereto, this spacer being so dimensioned as to adapt the bracket to use on the thinner doors, and being so constituted as to be readily and quickly attached to the bracket during assembly by the manufacturer and readily detached by the customer, while at the same time being so constructed as to resist accidental detachment when displayed for sale on the counter.

As illustrated in the drawing, the spacer 11 is preferably formed from a flat piece of steel or other metal having the necessary resilience for the purpose intended, and is a U-shaped member having a preferably outwardly arched closed end portion 12, substantially parallel legs 13 extending therefrom, and hooks 14 formed at the ends thereof having outwardly turned portions 15, closed end bracket edge gripping portions 16, and inwardly turned end portions 17 preferably shorter than portions 15 and having end edges 18, the hook portions 15 and 17 being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to or slightly exceeding the thickness of the material forming the back leg of the bracket. The arched portion of the spacer and the legs 13 thereof form a spring capable of limited deflection without a resulting permanent set, even though the spacer is made of ordinary cold rolled steel or similar material, and the construction and configuration is such that when the hook end portions 17 are placed against a smooth surface and the portion 12 pressed toward said surface slightly, the edges 18 of hook portions 17 are forced apart, and, will move back to their original positions when the pressure on the portion 12 is released.

The spacer and bracket are so dimensioned that the distance between the upright edges of notches 9 and 10 is normally slightly greater than the distance between the throats or bottoms of bracket gripping end portions 16, so that, due to the resilence of the spacer, the hooks are in firm engagement with the edges of the rear bracket leg in the notches when the spacer is in place, and portion 12 is then substantially flat.

Installation of the spacer on the bracket is best accomplished by placing one of the hook end portions 16 in engagement with the rear bracket leg edge in the corresponding notch 9 or 10 with the outer face of the inwardly turned hook end portion at the other end of the spacer in engagement with the inner face of the bracket leg in alignment with the other notch, and then pressing inward at the center of the portion 12 of the spacer, whereupon edges 18 of the hooks are moved apart enough to allow the edge of the spacer hook resting against the inner face of the bracket leg to slide over the edge thereof. On release of the pressure on the portion 12, of the spacer the resiliency of said portion and the attached legs is sulficient to move the hook ends together again into secure engagement with the edges of the bracket.

Removal of the spacer is readily accomplished by the customer by pressing down on the portion 12 of the spacer with sufficient force to effect a deflection of the spacer as indicated in Fig. 4. When this occurs, the legs of the spacer, which are normally substantially parallel and substantially at right angles to the face of the rear bracket leg assume an angular position relative to each other as shown, as well as an angular position relative to the inner face of the bracket leg. As soon as this action takes place, the hook portions 15 are cammed outward along the surface of the bracket and the spacer edges 18 are moved apart sufiiciently to permit removal of the spacer from the bracket. In the event cold rolled steel is used for the spacer, the latter may take a permanent set as shown in Fig. 4, but can readily be reformed by hand to the shape shown in Fig. 3, whereupon it may again be attached to the bracket in the manner heretofore described.

The spacer is shown in Fig. 3 as having portion 12 arched outward slightly, but when the spacer is installed on the bracket the dimensions of the bracket and spacer are such that the hook portions 14 of the spacer, which are in firm gripping engagement with the edges of bracket leg 8 in notches 9 and 10, are forced apart slightly and the portion 12 is substantially fiat with a well distributed bearing on the door surface. Although this is the preferred construction, other configurations may be used for the spacer, provided the resilience of the latter is such as to permit of its attachment to and removal from the bracket and to insure firm gripping engagement with the bracket when attached. It should be pointed out, however, that the arching of portion 12 provides for a good bearing against the door. If the portion 12 were initially fiat, it would be. arched inwardly slightly due to the spreading of portions 13, and the spacer would only bear on the door at the ends in line with the portions 13. It is also contemplated that the portion 12 may be so formed as to be arched outwardly slightly even when installed as above described on the bracket. In that event the portion 12, which is resilient, is flattened when the bracket is installed on the door, and firmly holds the bracket against movement thereon.

There is thus provided a spacer for the above type of bracket which may be readily attached and removed therefrom without the use of tools or the exercise of undue force, in order to permit mounting of the bracket on doors of difierent thickness, as well as a spacer which may be easily reformed for further use if desired. Due to the fact that, with the spacer equipped bracket installed on a door, the legs 13 of the spacer are substantially perpendicular to both the face of the door and the face of the rear bracket leg, and the force exerted on these legs by the load on the hanger member 7 is directly in line with the spacer legs, there is no tendency for the spacer to collapse or for the hook ends thereof to cam apart out of engagement with the bracket during normal use.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described with considerable particularity, the invention is not limited to the form shown but may take other forms within the spirit of the invention, as will now readily appear to those skilled in the art. Reference will, there- 4 fore, be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

I claim:

1. A garment hanger bracket adapted for removable attachment to a door, said bracket having a first leg and a second leg and a web portion connecting said legs in spaced apart relation for arrangement in straddling relation to a door when said web portion has downward engagement with the upper edge of said door, a garment hanger secured to'the first leg of said bracket, and a one piece resilient spacer operative between said second leg of the bracket and the surface of the door opposite thereto, said spacer being inherently stressed to have self retaining engagement with marginal portions of said second leg of the bracket along opposite upright edges of the latter.

2. A garment hanger bracket as set forth in claim 1, wherein said marginal portions of the second leg of the bracketcooperate with the spacer to limit relative movement therebetween lengthwise of said marginal portions.

3. A garment hanger bracket as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spacer presents a medial portion opposite the area of the second leg of the bracket between said marginal portions, which is conveXly curved in the direction of the first leg of the bracket.

4. A garment hanger bracket as set forth in claim 1, wherein said marginal portions of the second leg of the bracket are engaged by hooks formed integrally with said spacer.

5. A garment hanger bracket as set forth in claim 1, wherein said marginal portions of the second leg are offset inwardly relative to edge portions of said second leg extending in opposite directions from said marginal portions to provide shoulders with which said spacer is engageable to limit relative movement between said second leg and the spacer lengthwise of said marginal portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

